Horus | The Egyptian Falcon God Horus Horus | The Egyptian Falcon God Horus the falcon god was Egypt’s first national god worshiped by all of Egypt. One of the most important gods of ancient Egypt, the worship of Horus spanned over 5,000 years. With mention in records from the late pre-dynastic period through Roman times, Horus became the catch-all name for many different gods associated with falcons. Egyptian mythology features many different versions of his name, family and importance. Many Names, Many Gods Featured as a royal man with the head of a falcon or hawk, Horus often holds a scepter and ankh. His white and red crown represented the unity between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Horus is also seen as having the body of a lion, the head of a hawk and even as the sphinx. The name Horus means “the one far above,” which indicated his importance above all other gods of Egypt.

© Rhys Davenport - Horus - Temple of Seti I Horus was also known as: Sun God Horus the Avenger Horus Lord of the Two Lands Because of the many different names and forms of Horus, Egyptologists find it impossible to identify the one true falcon god. Despite the many different variations, Horus is always seen as the ruler of the gods represented by a falcon. He was also known as the patron saint of the existing pharaoh, who was often referred to as the 'Living Horus'. The Son of Ra In the earliest forms Horus is known as Horus the Elder. First seen in pre-dynastic Upper Egypt, neighboring tribes most likely brought stories of Horus into Egypt. Egyptians quickly adopted him into Egyptian mythology as the son of Ra and one of the creator gods. Horus took the form of a falcon and flew up at the beginning of time as part of the creation. Also known as Horus of Two Eyes, his left eye represented the sun and his right eye represented the moon. With the power of the sun and the healing of the moon, Horus ruled both the day and the night. In the earliest forms, Egyptians viewed him as the brother of Osiris and Seth.

Over time, Egyptians began to combine the idea of Horus and Ra into one god, Ra-Harakhte. Often pictured with a solar disk behind his head, the Ra-Harakhte version of Horus was the sun god, responsible for the sun’s path across the sky. The Son of Osiris In approximately 2350 BCE, Egyptians began to view Horus as the son of Osiris and Isis . One of the most popular Egyptian myths focuses on the birth of this form of Horus. Known as Harsiesis, or Horus the Younger, this version of Horus was born the son of Osiris and Isis. Egyptians viewed Osiris as a god of peace and prosperity. His younger brother, Seth, became jealous and destroyed Osiris by trapping him, drowning him and distributing the pieces of his body all over the world. Osiris’s wife and sister, Isis, gathered all the pieces of Osiris together. With the help of Anubis , the two performed the first Egyptian embalming to prepare Osiris for the afterlife. With magic, they were able to bring Osiris back to life for a short period of time. Isis became pregnant during this time, later giving birth to Horus.

Isis and Hathor protected the young Horus until he was old enough to rule. As a child, he is often seen located next to Isis on a lotus leaf. © kairoinfo4u - Temple of Seti I at Abydos Triumph over Seth During the first dynasty (c. 2925-2775 BCE) Egyptians viewed Horus and Seth as bitter enemies in a fight to rule the world. With Horus situated as a favorite among the gods, Seth’s hatred grew. Egyptian mythology tells many stories recounting battles between Horus and Seth. The battle between Horus and Seth reached Egyptians as a story of hope. In a time of frequent rebellions and invading occupiers, the defeat of Seth became a powerful symbol. Many Egyptian temple reliefs show Horus’s triumph over Seth in a variety of tales. One story as an example of this features Horus and Seth turning into hippopotamuses to battle in the waters of the Nile. For many years, Pharaohs would arm themselves with a spear to kill a hippopotamus in a reenactment of the battle. This served as a message to their people that they were all powerful over those threatening their rule.

© Adrian Hayter - Horus & Pharaoh killing Seth The Eye of Horus Horus the Egyptian falcon god is often associated with the "Eye of Horus'; a symbol that is prominent throughout Egypt even until modern times. This symbol was found on the mummy of King Tut . © Ashley Van Haeften - Eye of Horus Amulet In one epic Egyptian myth, Seth damaged Horus’s left eye. The damage to what was known as the “moon eye” set in motion the phases of the moon. The god Thoth was able to restore Horus’s damaged eye. The eye of Horus, represented as the wedjat eye, was born as one of the most powerful and popular symbols of Egypt. It was seen as the watchful eye. The eye saw everything and protected the world from the always threatening chaos. Often seen as funerary amulet, the eye became a symbol of protection for a king in the afterlife. It was also believed to ward off evil. Ancient Egyptian sailors painted the eye on the bow of boats for safe travel. The most famous usage of the eye was on the mummy of the young King Tutankhamen .

Click here to learn more about The Eye of Horus Protector of the Pharaohs Egyptians viewed Horus as the protector of the Pharaoh. As a god known in all of Egypt, he was an important unifying tool used to tie the people together under their leader. Great efforts were taken by rulers to show themselves as Horus in human form. When associated with a pharaoh, Horus was represented as a hawk resting on the shoulder of the pharaoh with his wings spread around the pharaoh’s head. Pharaohs would take on a Horus name to tie themselves to the god in both their reign and their afterlife. In believing that Horus ruled the Earth under the authority of the gods, it was important for Pharaoh to become Horus in a living form. When the Pharaoh died, this association would unite the ruler with Osiris in the underworld. Horus would then move into the form of the next pharaoh. © Steven Zucker - Hunefer's Book of the Dead detail, with Horus and Osiris Temples and Cults As early as the late pre-dynastic times, cults began associating with Horus. Although cults were common for Egyptian gods, many cults focused on specific local gods.

Horus was a well-known god with popularity throughout all of Egypt. Examples of his importance are found throughout all of Egypt in temple remains, monuments and coffin texts. The most significant tribute to Horus stands as the Temple of Edfu . Located 60 kilometers north of Aswan, the structure is considered one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. Cult worship of Horus began in the Delta, spreading south throughout the reign of Ptolemy III. Construction of the temple began around 237 BCE. Over the course of the 180 years of construction, Horus was worshiped at Edfu for constantly battling Seth and protecting the world from darkness. © alh1 - Egypt, Edfu temple Horus and Jesus During the Hellenic period, Horus began to be identified as the reincarnation of Osiris. He was seen as both his father and the son of his father. This mythology combined with the philosophy of Plato, becoming popular in the Mediterranean as a mystery religion basis for many different gods. The magical conception of Horus as the son of Osiris gives roots to the ideology that the basis for the story of Jesus has its roots in the mythology related to Horus.

Critics of the history of Jesus say that the parallels between the ideology of Horus and that of the story of Jesus indicates that they are the same story, just different time periods. However, this idea fails to take into account that the belief in Horus is one that spans thousands of years and many different versions. Each era of belief in Horus would have believed in different versions of the god, none of which match up with the accounts of Jesus. Horus, the God of Kings in Ancient Egypt Contact Us About us Tour Egypt aims to offer the ultimate Egyptian adventure and intimate knowledge about the country. We offer this unique experience in two ways, the first one is by organizing a tour and coming to Egypt for a visit, whether alone or in a group, and living it firsthand. The second way to experience Egypt is from the comfort of your own home: online. Horus, the God of Kings in Ancient Egypt Horus, the God of Kings by Jimmy Dunn From the very earliest of times, the falcon seems to have been worshipped in Egypt as representative of the greatest cosmic powers. Many falcon gods existed throughout Egypt, though over time, a good number of these assimilated to Horus , the most important of the avian deities.

Yet, from all his of many forms, it is nearly impossible to distinguish the "true" Horus. Horus is mostly a general term for a great number of falcon deities. Horus is one of ancient Egypt's best known gods , as well as one of its oldest. His name is attested to from at least the beginning of the Dynastic Period , and depictions of falcon deities on earlier artifacts, such as the Narmer Palette, probably represent this same god. The Turin Canon, which provides some of our most important information on Egypt's early history, specifically describes the Predynastic rulers of Egypt as "Followers of Horus". The use of his name was also widespread in personal names throughout Egyptian history, and Hor, as a personal name, survives into our modern era in a number of different forms. Forms of Horus Horus is a complicated deity, appearing in many different forms and his mythology is one of the most extensive of all Egyptian deities. Indeed, he has so many different aspects that we must limit our discussion to those that are significant.

At the same time, a judicious examination of the various Horuses and the sources relating to them supports the possibility that the roles in question are closely interrelated, and so they may be understood as different aspects of the same divine persona. The original form of Horus was probably that of a sky god, known as "lord of the sky". The Egyptian word " her" (hor, har), from which the god's name is derived means "the one on high", or "the distant one", probably in reference to the soaring flight of the hunting falcon, if not a reference to the solar aspect of the god. Mythologically, the god was imagined as a celestial falcon, whose right eye was the sun and left eye the moon. The speckled feathers of his breast were probably considered to be the stars, while his wings were the sky that created the wind. In this form, Horus was apparently worshipped at some of Egypt's earliest shrines such as at Nekhen (Heirakonpolis) , where he was assimilated with a number of other local falcon gods.

In this capacity, Horus was the patron of the Nekhen monarchy that grew into the historical pharaonic state and hence, the first known national god. A natural outgrowth of his role as "lord of the sky" was his aspect as a sun god. An ivory comb of the 1st Dynasty king Den depicts a falcon in a boat riding on outstretched wings, suggesting the falcon traversing the sky as the sun god. The early Pyramid Texts specifically refer to him in solar terms as "god of the east", and he appears in at least three forms in this guise. As Horakhty (Harakhty), or "Horus of the two horizons", Horus was the god of the rising and setting sun, but more particularly the god of the east and the sunrise. In the Pyramid Texts , the deceased king is said to be reborn in the eastern sky as Horakhty. Eventually, Horakhty became a part of the Heliopolis sun cult and was fused with its solar god as Re-Horakhty .

As Behdety, or "he of [the] behdet", Horus was the hawk-winged sun disk which seems to incorporate the idea of the passage of the sun through the sky. As Hor-em-akhet (Harmachis) or "Horus in the horizon", Horus was visualized as a sun god in falcon or leonine form. Horus was also seen and worshipped as the male child of Osiris and Isis (Har-pa-khered, literally "Horus the Child", from which the Greeks created the name of Harpokrates), though either this god was originally a separate deity with whom the ancient falcon god was fused, or the falcon deity was incorporated into the Osirian family in very different form, because here he is depicted as a divine human infant. Another reference to him as a child of Isis is as Harsiese who, in the Pyramid Texts , performs the vital " Opening of the Mouth " ceremony on the dead king. Horus was also directly linked with the kingship of Egypt in both his falcon aspect and as son of Isis .

Both his sponsorship of the monarchy and, probably, his identification with the king were shown on early decorated monuments from Nekhen . From the earliest Dynastic Period, the king's name was written in the rectangular device known as the serekh, which depicted a falcon perched on a stylized palace facade and which seems to indicate the king as mediator between the heavenly and earthly realms, if not the god manifest within the palace as the king himself. This was the " Horus name " of the king, who took other names in time, including a " Golden Horus" name in which a divine falcon is depicted upon the hieroglyphic sign for gold. Many other forms of Horus also appear in one way or another. Horus the successor was also referred to as Iunmutef (Pillar of His Mother), which was used as a funerary priestly title. By the New Kingdom , the Great Sphinx of Giza , originally a representation of the 4th Dynasty King Khafre (or possibly Khufu ), was interpreted by the Egyptians as an image of Hor-em-akhet (Harmakhis), or "Horus in the Horizon".

In the person of the Sphinx and elsewhere, Horus was also identified in the New Kingdom with the Syrian Canaanite deity, Hauron, which some regard as contributing to the choice of the Arabic name for the Sphinx, "Father of Terror". Another of Horus is the Egyptian "Har-nedj-itef, or "Horus the savior of his father" (Greek Harendotes), which refers to the vindication of Horus' claim to succeed Osiris , rescuing his father's former earthly domain from the usurper Seth . The Eye of Horus must also be mentioned. The injury inflicted by Seth on the eye of Horus is alluded to in the Pyramid Texts , where royal saliva is prescribed for its cure. The restored eye of Horus became the symbol for the state of soundness or perfection, known as the Udjat Eye. Used as an amulet, it became the symbol for protection and painted on the sides of rectangular coffins. Furthermore, Horus was combined, synchronized and closely associated with deities other than the sun god Re , such as Min , Sopdu , Khonsu and Montu .

Mythology The textual and mythological material related to Horus are very rich, comprising hymns, mortuary tests, ritual texts, dramatic/theological texts, stories and even the Old Coptic and Greek magical papyri. Interestingly, the most complete ancient exposition of the Osiris narrative is Plutarch's De Iside et Osiride, in a Latin translation from the original Greek. Other accounts include the Memphite Theology or Shabaka Stone , the Mystery Play of the Succession, Coffin Texts Spell 148, the Great Osiris Hymn in the Louvre, the Late Egyptian Contendings of Horus and Seth , the Metternich Stela and other cippus texts, and the Ptolemaic Myth of Horus at Edfu, also known as the Triumph of Horus. These texts take the reader, with variations and a number of contrasting perspectives, from the god's conception and birth, through his childhood hidden in the marshes (as Har-hery-wadj, or "Horus who is upon his papyrus plants"), his protection by Isis , his conflict with Seth and his followers, and his succession as legitimate king.

With the rise of the complete Horus - Osiris - Isis mythological complex, visible in the Pyramid Texts during the late Old Kingdom , the living king was identified as an earthly Horus and the dead king (his father or predecessor) as Osiris. As the son of Isis and Osiris, Horus was also the mythical heir to the kingship of Egypt, and many stories surrounding this struggle to gain and hold the kingship from the usurper Seth detail this aspect of the god's role. Harwer (Haroeris), or "Horus the Elder" was the mature god represented in these stories who battles Seth for 80 years until the tribunal of gods finally awards him his rightful place on the throne of all Egypt. Finally, as Har-Mau or Harsomptus (Horus the Uniter), Horus fulfills this role of uniting and ruling over Egypt, though he is sometimes identified as the son of Horus the Elder and Hathor in this role, for example, at Edfu and Kom Ombo, and called by the name Panebtawy "Lord of the Two Lands". However, there was a vital relationship between Seth and Horus .

Seth was the embodiment of disorder, and was predominantly seen as a rival of Horus. However, Seth was also portrayed in a balanced, complementary role to Horus, so that the pair represented a bipolar, balanced embodiment of kingship. Therefore, on the side of the throne, Horus and Seth, symmetrical and equal, tie the papyrus and lotus around the sema-sign. Since about the turn of the twentieth century, Egyptologists have debated the issue of whether the struggle between Horus and Seth was primarily a historical event, or purely symbolic. This issue is complicated by the geographical polarities of the two gods' cult centers. While Horus was venerated throughout Egypt, his primary cult centers were in the south, while Seth's cult centers tended to be in the north, and perhaps particularly in the Delta. According to the Turin Canon, the late predynastic rulers of Egypt were "followers of Horus". By the time of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, the ruler was Horus. On the palette in the Cairo museum that shows King Narmer , considered a candidate for the first ruler of a unified Egypt, Horus is shown holding a rope that passes through the nose of the defeated northern rival.

Hence, some Egyptologists believe that the source of the mythological conflict between Horus and Seth may have been the predynastic struggle to unite Upper and Lower Egypt. In fact, during the 2nd Dynasty , there seems to have once again been a Horus and Seth conflict, which was eventually resolved under King Khasekhemwy . While the nature of this conflict is not clear, it is reflected in the use of a Seth-name instead of the usual Horus-name by King Peribsen (Seth-Peribsen) . There are indications of warfare during this period, culminating perhaps by Khasekhemwy, who combined Horus and Seth above the serekh containing his name. Genealogy The most common genealogy of Horus is as the son of Osiris and Isis , as the tenth member of the family tree of the Heliopolitan Ennead. However, one must remember that this god's worship spanned some three thousand years, during which time he was venerated throughout Egypt, as well as outside of Egypt. Therefore, the full picture of his genealogy is more complex. Hathor , herself sometimes identified with Isis, also appears as the mother of Horus.

Haroeris, or Horus the Elder, can appear in the Heliopolitan family tree as the brother of Osiris and the son of Geb and Nut . Osiris can also be equated with Haroeris, who in that scenario is the murdered victim of Seth . At Edfu , Horus appears as the consort of Hathor and the father of another form of himself, Harsomtus, or "Horus Uniter of the Two Lands". Horus and Seth are sometimes described as nephew and uncle, but at other times as brothers. At Nag'el Madamud, just north of Luxor , a temple was built in honor of the god Montu , his consort Raettawy, and their son Harpokrates, the child deity more often associated with Isis . Iconography The roles, local cult foundations and titles or epithets of Horus are sometimes correlated with distinct or preferred forms in iconography. The form of Horus that we are perhaps most familiar with is as a full falcon, probably the lanner (Falco biarmicus) or peregrine (Falco peregrinus).

This is the original avian form of Horus, typically shown in two dimensions as a profile except for the tail feathers which were turned towards the viewer according to the canons of Egyptian composite perspective. Early examples sometimes show the falcon leaning forward in a later position but the upright stance became standard in later times. Sometimes the falcon is shown in direct association with the Seth animal or one of his symbols, particularly in the Late period , as in the nome sign of the 16th Upper Egyptian nome where the falcon is depicted with its talons sunk into the back of an Oryx. Though Seth may have typically taken the form of a canine, the Oryx was an ancient symbol of that god. As the hawk-winged Behdety, Horus became one of the most widespread images in Egyptian art, an image perhaps foreshadowed in the time of Den, and which became virtually ubiquitous as a motif used in the decoration of temple walls and stelae throughout Egypt. In this guise, he had the epithets "Great God, Lord of heaven, Dappled of Plumage". As Horakhty, he may appear as a falcon or sometimes even as a falcon-headed crocodile.

Most often, Re-Horakhty has a sun disk on his head. In the fully anthropomorphic form Horus appears as an adult god or more usually as a child, wearing the sidelock of youth, who is the son of Isis . Horus as a boy also appears dominating crocodiles, serpents and other noxious animals on cippi. Sometimes on cippi, the head of the child was often surmounted by a Bes-head, or perhaps a Bes mask. Yet, it is in the combined zoo-anthropomorphic form of a falcon-headed man that the god most frequently appears, often wearing the Double Crown signifying his kingship over all Egypt. In various forms, Horus often wore the Double Crown , as befitting his status as king of Egypt, the Atef , the triple atef and a disk with two plumes was also used. One of the most famous kingship imagery related to Horus is found in the statue of Khafre , seated with the Horus falcon at the back of his head with the wings of the bird protectively wrapped around the king's neck.

Cult Worship Frequently, we can identify a specific, strong cult center for an ancient Egyptian god, but because Horus was worshipped in many forms, and because he assimilated many other gods, it is difficult to summarize the sites associated with his worship. Clearly, he was associated with the area of Nekhen in southern Egypt (Greek Hierakonpolis or "City of the Hawk") from very early times. he was probably the falcon deity worshipped there since pre-dynastic times. However, Horus was worshipped along with other deities at countless Egyptian temples and the important sites of his worship are known from one end of Egypt to the other, dating to the earliest of times to the latest periods of pre-Christian Egypt. In fact, he continued to be venerated in some Old Coptic (Christian), ritual-power or magical texts. In northern Egypt, the Horus god was particularly venerated in the Delta at the ancient site of Khem (Greek Letopolis, modern Ausim) since at least the beginning of the Old Kingdom . There, he was known as Horus Khenty-irty, or Khenty-khem, "Foremost One of Khem".

Chapter 112 of the Book of the Dead tells how the Delta city of Pe (historical Buto) was given to Horus as compensation for his eye which was injured by Seth , which explains why this was such an important cult center for the god. Behdet also became a center of Horus worship in the Delta. In the south, Horus enjoyed the attention, together with his consort Hathor , and their son Harsomptus, in the important Ptolemaic temples at Edfu and also at Kom Ombo . At Edfu, the god's many ceremonies included the annual Coronation of the Sacred Falcon at the beginning of the 5th month of the Egyptian year in which an actual falcon was selected to represent the god as king of all Egypt, thus uniting the ancient falcon god with his form as Horus son of Osiris and with the king. Even outside of ancient Egypt proper, south in Nubia, we find temples dedicated to various forms of Horus at Quban (Horus of Baki), Buhen and Aniba (Horus of Miam), as well as the inclusion of the god in many other monuments such as Abu Simbel and elsewhere.

As the object of popular veneration throughout Egypt, Horus was often represented by amulets depicting him either in the form of a falcon or as a falcon-headed man, in both cases often wearing the Double Crown of Egypt. His widespread worship is also seen in the many healing plaques, or cippi, which aimed to utilize his power. The cippi of Horus were a common manifestation of the importance of Horus in healing rituals and popular ritual practice. The Survival of Horus It should be mentioned that some Egyptologists see, in the iconography of Christian art, a precursor in Horus . For example, Isis and the baby Horus are sometimes seen as the model for Mary and the infant Jesus, while Horus dominating the beats may have a counterpart in Christ Pantokrator doing the same. Horus spearing a serpent may survive in the iconography of Saint George defeating the dragon.

Resources: Ancient Egypt Birds:Heron,Falcons,ba-bird with Human head - Ancient Egyptian Facts Ancient Egyptian Facts Ancient Egyptian Facts for Kids Main Ancient Egypt Birds:Heron,Falcons,ba-bird with Human head Ancient Egypt Birds:Heron,Falcons,ba-bird with Human head Birds always fascinated human kind because of their beauty, power and ability of flying. This influence is mainly seen in Ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphs are pictures that were used to write in ancient Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs are more than just a way of writing, they are also pictures, and as such they are meant to be aesthetic pleasing. The ancient Egyptians personified many of their major gods as birds. It was because birds could fly and thus be in areas unattainable by humans or perhaps maybe they were viewed as being powerful for being able to live in the harsh desert conditions. Along the Nile, some of the multitude of bird-life included the falcon, kite, goose, crane, heron, plover, pigeon, ibis, vulture and owl. Many of these birds were, in fact, kept in sacred flocks by the ancient Egyptians and some individual birds were even elevated to temple animals.

Even the souls (ba) of the ancient Egyptians were frequently depicted with the body a bird. Ibis was a white bird with black grits head, rock and tips of the wing pinions. Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom or knowledge was always depicted as having the head of an Ibis. The Greeks viewed him as similar to the Greek god Hermes. As Thoth was one of the major Egyptian deities, the Ibis, like the Falcon was very sacred to the ancient Egyptians. The scaring flight and aggression of the falcon gave him a special position in cult. As King of the air the falcon became the sacred animal of the King of the Gods, Horus and also a symbol of divine Kingship. Man with hawk head and head dress with a sun disk Ra was the sun god. He was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians. The ancient Egyptians believed that Ra was swallowed every night by the sky goddess Nut, and was reborn every morning. Man with the head of a hawk – A hawk Horus was a god of the sky. He is probably most well-known as the protector of the ruler of Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the ‘living Horus’.

One of the ancient Egyptian objects was the ba-bird. The ba is represented as a bird with a human head. The figure rests on a slightly tapered rectangular base which originally may have been attached to the top of a wooden sepulchral tablet or shrine, or perhaps the corners of a wooden outer box enclosing the coffin. These locations suggest places where the bird might alight. The ba was not a separate being, but a powerful aspect or expression of the same person that was within the person even before birth. As the ba was not usually associated with the living, it was believed to become manifest at the time just at the point of death, before resurrection. The ba of a noble and common person had the nature of a human body and performed all earthly functions. These bas of the dead represented past generations. The Egyptians, as do people of many cultures, believed people survived after death, so the ba was believed to live on into eternity. HORUS THE FALCON GOD - Dr. Zahi Hawass - The Plateau - Offical Website of Dr. Hawass By Dr. Zahi Hawass The god Horus is one of the most famous gods of ancient Egypt.

Egypt Air has taken Horus as its Logo because of it ancient symbolism, as a winged god of the Sky, Horus, was this and more. The name "HORUS" stems from the ancient Egyptian word hr (her) which in its simple form was the preposition "above", "upon" so Horus the falcon soars above all the land and its inhabitants, and was, the natural symbol of the King who reigns over all Egypt. It is also the perfect symbol for Egypt Air which flies throughout Egypt and the World. Every pharaoh was an incarnation of Horus, who according to legend conquered Seth the evil god of Upper Egypt. Seth was god of turmoil and confusion who murdered Osiris, Horus's father. Horus avenged his father's death and became the god of order and justice. Therefore the pharaoh in Ancient Egypt became Horus on earth, the ruler of the two lands (Upper and Lower Egypt). Horus, represented by the hawk, was the god of the Sky, a symbol of divine Kingship, and protector of the ruling King. - The name Horus also means the forsighted, where one eye represents the Sun and other represents the Moon.

The Sun was Known as "Horakhty", or Horus in the Horizon., Horus was considered as the god of the east and the rising Sun. Horus has the Shape of a falcon or a hawk or can take a human Shape with a falcon. Horus was the god of the Nile Delta (Lower Egypt) and Seth was the god of Upper Egypt, but Horus became the Symbol of Kingship and the King of Upper and Lower Egypt because it was he who united the two Kingdoms. The Kings of the predynastic Egypt were known as the followers of Horus. In this period, Horus was known as the son of Isis and Osiris and inherited the throne of his father. Horus also was connected with the goddess Hathor. She was the eye of the Sun god Re, the wife of the living King, and the mother of coming King. Her name was written with the hieroglyph of the Horus falcon inside a rectangle-mean "house" or "mansion" of Horus. Horus, in the shape of a falcon was worshiped in Hierakonpolis in Upper Egypt (north of Edfu).

Archaeologists found a golden head of a falcon inside the temple in Hierakonpolis, and the name of the city means "City of the Hawk". Another temple was built for Horus in the city of Behdet (now Damnhour in the Nile Delta), where Horus was represented in the shape of a winged Sun disk. The modern name Damnhour itself "town of Horus" derives from the ancient Egyptian dmi-Hor. Horus took anew form in the late Period (747 B.C.), when he became a popular god and was represented as a naked child standing above a crocodile holding in his hands snakes, scorpions and lions. Therefore Horus became known as a healer for the people with snake bites and scorpion stings. One of the most famous scenes of Horus is the representation of the falcon (Horus) perched on a throne behind the head of King Khafre, the builder of the second pyramid at Giza. The falcon embraces the King with its wings in order to fly with him to the Sky. Another scene shows Isis nursing Horus.

She and Hathor nursed and raised him to take revenge on his uncle Seth, the evil King of Upper Egypt, who killed Osiris, Horus's father. Ancient Egyptian literature relates great battles between Horus and Seth and how Horus conquered Seth and united the two lands of Egypt. Therefore he was also known as Horus the fighter. Late-Period Egyptian Bronze Falcon | Teacher's Guide | Antiques Roadshow | PBS Late-Period Egyptian Bronze Falcon APPRAISER: Max Bernheimer AR CATEGORY: Antiquities Horus, Egyptian god of the sun. A huge hieroglyph of the falcon god Horus outside the entrance to the Temple of Horus, Edfu, Egypt. (Photo © iStock.com/markgoddard.) An elaborately decorated coffin for an Egyptian mummy. (Photo © iStock.com/Caveman_Lee.) This bronze falcon was created during ancient Egypt's Late Period, which began in 664 B.C. and ended in 304 B.C. One of the most intriguing features of this statue is its center.

It is hollow for a very special reason: it originally housed a falcon mummy — that is, a falcon whose body had been preserved through the process of embalming and wrapping. As the appraiserAn expert who assesses the value, quality, and authenticity of works of art or other objects. points out in the Roadshow video, the falcon "is not just an image of a bird. It was sacred to the god Horus" (ancient Egyptian god of the sun, usually represented as a man with the head of a falcon). Egyptians viewed certain animals — including cats, cows, crocodiles, baboons, bulls, and falcons — as beings that were inhabited by the spirit of a god. When these animals died, the Egyptians often preserved their bodies by mummifying them. The Egyptians believed that mummification would protect the animals' souls in the afterlife. The linkage of a god to a specific animal reflected traits that both shared. The god Horus, whose name means "He who is on high," represented heavenly power; the falcon, which flies above the earth, provided a parallel to Horus within the animal world.

As the appraiser notes, the sculpture is beautifully cast, with exquisite details in its feathers and eyes. He also draws viewers' attention to the hieroglyphic markings on the base of the sculpture. Despite the falcon's broken tail, its value is still quite high. A Closer Look After watching the ROADSHOW video on the bronze falcon, what can you deduce about life in ancient Egypt? (Some conclusions might be that animals held a sacred place in Egyptian culture; Egyptians believed that after death there was renewal and eternal life; Egyptians had sophisticated tools and a writing system.) Then come up with three questions you would like to ask the sculptor who created the falcon. (Questions for the sculptor might include: Were you paid to make this? How long did it take? How was the mummy made? Where was the sculpture buried?) How old is the falcon? From what material was the statue constructed? How might the material from which it was made have contributed to its longevity? Why was the statue hollow? What was the purpose of the statue? For which Egyptian god was the statue created? What does this piece tell us about the role of animals within the belief system of ancient Egyptians? What are hieroglyphics?

What did they indicate on the base of the statue? How did the falcon break? Why does the break not affect the falcon's value? What kinds of damage do you think would decrease the value of an artifact? Activities and Investigations Using resources on the Web or at your library, find out more about one of the following topics: funeral objects in ancient Egypt; the role of animals in ancient Egyptian religion and culture; the god Horus; the process of creating mummies. Share your findings with classmates. Choose a death artifact from another culture to investigate and report on to the class — for example, a Greek funeral urn or an African ancestor mask. What does the object you selected reveal about this culture's views on death? Write a one-page piece of fiction or nonfiction describing an item you have inherited, one you would like to inherit, or an item you would like to leave as a legacy to a friend or family member. For Further Exploration This online museum presents a collection of Egyptian antiquities. Mummy Tombs Includes information on mummies from around the world, project ideas for students, and links to museums that feature mummies in their collections.

Animal Mummies A project of The Cairo Museum to preserve and share information on its collection of animal mummies, with sections on pets, sacred animals, votive offerings, and more. Ancient Egyptian Art by Susie Hodge (Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, 1998) Explores Egyptian art from painting and symbols to statues and buildings. The Art of Ancient Egypt by Gay Robins (Harvard University Press, 1997) Discusses the significance of many pieces of ancient Egyptian art and considers how the pieces relate to Egyptian belief and life. Searching for Ancient Egypt: Art, Architecture, and Artifacts David P. Silverman, Editor (Cornell University Press, 1997) Presents a vast collection of Egyptian art treasures. English 1 2002-2008 - Heads of the Egyptian Gods Heads of the Egyptian Gods Export (PDF) Autopsy of Gods in a Dead Religion Many years before the birth of Christ, the Ancient Egyptian religion was filled with majestic, yet very human-like gods that inscribed their wondrous tales of love, vengeance, and power into the hyrogliphics of the era.

Now, thousands of years later, in modern day Egypt, more than ninty percent of the Egyptian population has claimed to follow the belief system of the Suni Muslims, with the majority of the remaining population practicing Coptic Christianity. Astoundingly, the religion of yesterday and all the magnificent tales of the gods entertwined in it, has been deemed a mere myth, primarily used for purposes of history and literature. Unlike many other various religions, some of the gods of the Ancient Egyptians boasted the heads of creatures: from insects, to the beasts of the land, to the birds of the air. We seek to interpret the reasoning behind these heads and discover the significance of the animals to this ancient society. We also desire to discover why the gods possessed such human-like qualities. The Ancient Egyptian civilization thrived between 3500 B.C. and 2500 B.C. in the arts, religion, economy, and diverse beliefs. Unlike many civilizations in that era which adapted the writing styles of other cultures, Egyptians consistently wrote in hieroglyphics, allowing modern civilization a glimpse into their fascinating religion.

Polytheistic, the ancient Egyptian religion believed in numerous gods such as Anubis, Re, Horus, Set, Thoth, Isis, and Bastet. Different duties correspond with each god: Anubis, the god of mummification and souls of the Under World; Re, the god of the sun; Horus, the god of the pharaohs and the intermediary between humans and Osiris who was reincarnated in each pharaoh; Osiris himself, ruler of the Other World, all gods, grain and the Nile; Set, the god of the night, the desert, and all evil; Thoth, the lord of divine words; Isis, the mother goddess; and Bastet, the goddess of fire, cats, of the home, and pregnant women. Each god has distinguishing features and various forms, many boasting animal heads. Anubis has the head of a black jackal. At dawn, Re takes the form of a scarab, but he later emerges with a head of a falcon crowned with the sun disc.

Horus is most commonly depicted as a falcon-headed man, but he is also shown as a falcon, a lion with the head of a falcon, or a sphinx.Osiris is often portrayed wearing an atef crown with ram horns attached. Set is portrayed as a disturbing animal with long ears and a tail. Thoth has three forms: a man with the head of an ibis holding a writing palette, an ibis, and a baboon. Isis takes the form of a beautiful woman, wearing wonderful clothing and sometimes a sun disk. Bastet takes the form of either a cat or a lioness. Here are the gods portrayed in either hieroglyphics or statues: Anubis Isis Bastet The Ancient Egyptians did not formally explain why the gods boast these magnificent animal heads, leaving the reasoning to our own interpretation. The god of the embalming of corpses, Anubis's, had a head directly related to the true jackals of Egypt that haunted the areas around graveyards and necropolis. Re possessed a falcon head, and in Egyptian culture, the populace considered the falcon a powerful and majestic bird.

Also a birds head, Horus, with the head of a hawk, also wore the crown of Egypt because he was the god of the pharaohs of Egypt. The hawk also represented him because he soared farther than any other god. The head of set was not comprised of any recognizable animal, leaving his nature open to interpretation, whether good or bad. Thoth, with the head of an ibis, directly relates to a real ibis. Considered a wise bird, the ibis, with a beak shaped like a quill, dipped its head into mud, which signified ink. Both the bird in actuality, and the god, always acted with wisdom and grace. Bastet, the goddess of cats, may appear insignificant to people uneducated in the ways of the Egyptians, but the ancient Egyptians revered what they considered a “sacred” animal. Surprisingly, Bastet does not perform as one of the most powerful gods. She protects her father’s sun ship from the giant snake Apep as the ship flies across the sky. In reality though, her duty corresponds with the duty of genuine cats, protecting precious valuables from harm, whether grain from mice, or the sun from Apep.

With a split personality, Bastet embodied two characteristics of cats, docile and aggressive. Much like a mother cat caring for kittens, Bastet acted as a champion of the home, and pregnant women. Juxtaposed to this, her vicious nature appeared when forced to assail enemies. The correlation between animal and semi-human god counterpart appears in many examples, not just Egyptian mythology. Unlike the rest of the gods mentioned, Osiris and Isis took on human forms, with no animal heads, though both had sun discs atop their heads. Egyptians needed at least a few gods for which it would be possible to empathize with, for none wish to have their fate decided by an animal, so Osiris assumes a human form. Osiris also owned ram-horns, and in the culture of the Egyptians, the ram was considered a powerful animal. Isis, the great mother goddess, represents women, and so she assumes the form of a woman. In The Golden Compass, by Phillip Pullman, the form the daemon took on directly reflected the soul of the owner. The daemons of servants always assumed the form of a dog. The dog represented the characteristics most prominent in the servants, obedience and loyalty. Mrs.

Coulter's monkey also showed this, but at a much deeper level. The golden fur of the monkey lured unsuspecting adults and children into a false sense of security, while the vicious and cruel nature lurked just beneath. Both the complex nature of the monkey and the simple nature of the servant’s dogs juxtapose each other, representing the juxtaposition of their owners. Animals possess simple attitudes allowing one to view the fundamental nature of human characteristics. The Egyptians gave various gods bestial heads to let the populace easily understand the nature behind the gods. With animal heads, the Egyptians clearly dictated the duties of each god. Unlike the Egyptian deities, in Genesis, after the creation story, God separates himself from the humans due to their overwhelming sin. This provides a very mysterious, yet powerful and magnificent aspect to God, in that you cannot see Him physically, but His power appears constantly in nature and in the lives of many. The Egyptian gods posses all these qualities because they use magic and various powers, but they live on earth, which makes them more human and personal. They also had what some would consider negative qualities and the faults of human sin such as lust, violence, and deceit.

Although God created animals and all the various creatures of the earth, no Bible-based religion will portray God with an animal head or a full animal body, perhaps because the bible only has one god for a major belief system and if that god took the form of an animal or even a human the religion would need more of a powerful figure. The Ancient Egyptians had so many different gods that they formed a major force made up of many different parts as opposed to a singular part. Each god or goddess has a purpose, and his or her forms correspond with those purposes according to the significance of the animals to the people. Each head served as a guideline to the people, inscribing a clear duty and personality for each of the gods. Also, religions that acknowledge multiple gods do not need to make their gods as powerful as in a religion that worships one principle god because that one god would need to have awe-inspiring qualities in order to promote the quality of the religion. Thought Provoking Questions: Why do certain cultures consider animals to be sacred? Do cultures that have gods modeled after animals need animals more in their daily lives? How does a religion transform into a myth? Why are none of the animal gods water-based creatures if they greatly valued the Nile?

Why are some of the Egyptian gods human based, and others based on animals? Why did the religion of Egypt die out? Bibliography: 1. Cass, Stephanie. "Horus." Encyclopedia Mythica. 16 Jan. 2004. 19 Dec. 2007 < 2. "Egyptian Gods." Edkins Family Index. Mar. 1999. 16 Dec. 2007 < 3. "Egypt." Msn Encarta. 1997. Microsoft. 18 Dec. 2007 < #p22 >. 4. McDevitt, April. "Bastet." Ancient Egypt: the Mythology. 09 Aug. 2007. 17 Dec. 2007 5.Rhymer, Eric. "Introduction to Egyptian Mummification." History Link 101. 2007. 18 Dec. 2007 < 6. Rosenburg, Donna. World Mythology: an Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. 3rd ed. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Group, Inc., 1999. 12-21. 7.

Tibbetts, Graham. "NORTHERN BALD IBIS." The Ark Gallery. 26 Aug. 2003. 19 Dec. 2007 <

Question: Which Egyptian God had the head of a falcon?
Answer: HORUS